The holidays are right around the corner, and so are seasonal specials and a new winter menu at Seasons 52.

The restaurant's core menu changes four times a year with every season, and all the features on the right hand panel of the menu change every week, 52 times a year. The menu showcases over 100 different bottles of wine, 52 of which are available by the glass.

Seasons 52, in case you are not familiar with the brand, is a fresh grill and wine bar that offers a seasonal menu inspired by the fresh appeal of a farmer’s market and what’s good now. They gather ingredients from all over the world and use them at their peak with rustic cooking techniques. The kitchen is open and you can see oven roasting and open fire grilling over oak and mesquite, which bring out the natural flavors of food.

The Winter Menu launched on November 15th. Seasons 52’s winter menu features seasonal fare such as the new Portuguese Kale & Chorizo Soup, Braised Short Rib Flatbread and the Artisan Grilled Vegetable Sandwich. Seafood entrees coming into season include Nantucket Bay Scallops, Wood Grilled Tuna and Stone Crabs. Of course wine is always being added, but for the winter menu a few new cocktails have arrived as well.

The wrap around bar at the Sand Lake location of Seasons 52 has plenty of seats to view the gorgeous display of wines and spirits from all over the world.

Speaking of Spirits, two new drinks for the winter are the Cranberry & Sage cocktail with Prairie Organic Gin on the left and an Organic Sunshine Martini with Prairie Organic Vodka on the right. Prairie Organic makes Gin and Vodka that is certified organic by the USDA and kosher by the Orthodox Union, and they are also green and clean. Very good drinks, and the Prairie Organic spirits are some of the best I’ve had with a clean and smooth taste.

A wonderful amuse bouche with smoked apple and pork belly compliments of the chef.

The Duck Wing Lollipops are simply amazing. These things are covered in a Korean Gochujang red chili glaze and just fall off the bone. They do have a tad bit of heat, so do be careful...but they are worth it.

On a slightly cool night, the Portuguese Kale & Chorizo soup is the perfect thing to warm you up. A savory soup that was light, but satisfying.

The new seasonal flatbread on the menu is the Braised Short Rib and Aged Cheddar Flatbread. This is a must try item. Full of flavor with a light and crispy texture. A perfect flatbread to share with some friends over a good glass of Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Asian Glazed Chilean Sea Bass is by far, one of the best sea bass dishes I have had in quite some time. The fish was so flaky and tender, it just dissolved in your mouth. The sea bass sat on top of a black rice cake and was served with snow peas, shiitake mushrooms, and micro wasabi.

The Mediterranean Braised Lamb Shank not only looks awesome...it tastes awesome too. The meat just falls off the bone and the accoutrements of Yukon mashed potatoes and vegetables make it a great savory down home meal.

Dessert shooters are a great way to end the night, especially when you just want a little something sweet to eat. The pecan pie shooter on the far right was outstanding. These come in a wide variety of flavors, so there is something for everybody.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, Seasons 52 will be open for the holiday and is proud to offer Plainville Farms turkey, never, ever given antibiotics, served alongside the chef’s take on the usual trimmings and seasonal cocktails.

For Black Friday, the restaurant will also be offering All Day Black Friday specials for guests looking to shop ‘til they drop on November 25th.

Along with seasonal cocktails and intimate private dining options for family events or holiday parties, guests can purchase Seasons 52 gift cards for foodie friends and relatives. If you purchase $300 or more, you will receive a signature 7” Japanese Santoku knife from Mercer Cutlery. The knife has the Seasons 52 logo etched on both the blade and on the sleeve.

After spending time at the Bohemian Hotel Savannah as the executive chef at the hotels Rocks on the River restaurant, Chef Zachary Martin has returned to the Bohemian Hotel Celebration.To kickoff his return and to spread the word about the refreshed menu, Tastes Of Orlando was invited to a very special Flavors of Florida bloggers dinner.Chef Martin was at the property from 2008 through 2012, and with his return, the Bohemian Hotel Celebration has introduced a refreshed menu to its Lakeside Bar & Grill. The new menu features fresh Florida ingredients that focus on classic American foods with a southern contemporary twist. Born and raised in New Orleans, Chef Martin’s hometown roots have influenced his innovative culinary creations and his modern approach to classic cuisine. Chef Martin’s techniques and talents have been fine-tuned through mentoring by the likes of Emeril Lagasse and Bernard Carmouche. The refreshed menu is focused on locally sourced and sustainable ingredients from some of Florida's best all natural farms like Waterkist Farms and Cahaba farms who grow most of their produce hydroponically. Other farms the hotel uses for ingredients like Pero Family Farms and Arc Farms, have a big focus on being environmentally friendly and being 100% sustainable farmers.We started our evening off with a Summer Corn Bisque with citrus yogurt.The bisque was made with organic corn from Alderman farms, and was full of flavor in every bite.

For the greens portion of our meal we had the Beets and Bleu.

This salad is made with organic mixed greens, roasted beets, pickled red onions, bacon, and bleu cheese with an aged balsamic vinaigrette.I really enjoyed the salad and all of the unique flavors and textures. It was quite tasty, and was paired very nicely with the Kessler Chardonnay 2011.

Our next dish was the Crab Cake.

The cake was served with shaved fennel, tomatoes, red onion salad, and a delicious champagne yogurt sauce. To continue on in our seafood selection we were treated to Chilean Sea Bass.The fish was topped with prawn butter and sat atop a bed of soba noodles, pea tendrils and shiitake mushrooms in a coconut curry sauce.The fish was nice and flaky and I thought the addition of a coconut curry sauce was a nice flavor enhancer. Both the crab cake and the sea bass were paired with a wonderfuly crisp Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc 2010.Our final entree of the evening was a Filet Mignon with summer roasted vegetables and roasted fingerling potatoes. The steak was topped with a fresh herb butter that helped it to literally melt in your mouth.Of course steaks go good with red wines, so it was paired with a Simi Cabernet Sauvignon 2011.

We ended the evening with a decadent Key Lime Pie with sugared lime slices and dried raspberry.The pie was very light and had just the right amount of sweetness and bitterness.

One of the many highlights about Kessler Collection hotels is their passion not just for food and fine lodging, but for the arts. As with other Kessler properties, The Bohemian Hotel in Celebration has a passion for the arts at its foundation. The hotel’s Grand Bohemian Gallery showcases more than 75 works of art by local, regional and internationally recognized artists.

During our dinner we were treated to a meet and greet with Tom Sadler, and got to watch him paint one of his beautiful oil paintings.Tom Sadler has dedicated his efforts towards capturing the light, color, and mood of the Central Florida landscape. The intense light, combined with the natural beauty of the many lakes, rivers, and parks of the area provide a never-ending source of inspiration. His paintings come to life as a celebration of this beauty found in nature.
Just like Tom Sadler's art work, The Bohemian Hotel in Celebration is full of natural beauty, Floridian charm and inspiration. The hotel has all of the modern amenities you expect in an upscale hotel, but is set in an intimate boutique setting that is reminiscent of the grand lakeside and seaside inns of the early 1900's.The Bohemian Hotel Celebration is a great place for romance during a starlit cocktail hour as well as a great place for business meetings, with over 5,000 square feet of indoor meeting space. The hotel boasts two lakeside terraces for outdoor events, exquisite cuisine and a convenient business center. From artistically designed buffets and décor to creative dishes and live music, events can be arranged surrounding a particular theme. Along with multiple

function spaces, the property offers a lakefront meeting room where attendants can enjoy the beautiful view outside.The Bohemian Hotel Celebration is a great place to enjoy the perfect balance of old-world charm combined with contemporary elegance in the warm and welcoming town of Celebration.

If you are not familiar with the location at 100 S. Eola drive in Thornton Park, let me give you a refresher course. Over the years it has seen a few different restaurants come its way...and sadly none have had long term success.

Some of the restaurants you may be familiar with are...Graze, Prickly Pear, and Lotus. I did a review of Lotus last year, and I liked the interior design and the location. The food was pretty good, but aside from the terrible service, I thought the place was very unfocused and could not decide whether it was a night club, bar, or a restaurant. Next door to Lotus, the same owners were going to open an aphrodisiac bar called Honey...but that has been scrapped also. Mingos is the newest concept from the same ownership group that owned Lotus. They have retained Chef Luis J. Negron of Lotus and have brought in a new management team as well as getting rid of the ditsy servers. Mingos is short for Flamingos, as the restaurant is really going for an upscale but casual Florida and Caribbean theme to the menu with a strong emphasis on fresh seafood.

This time around, Mingos just might be the restaurant to have long term success at what some think is a doomed location. The servers are top notch and very knowledgeable about all the menu items. All of the food we sampled was very good, and the sea bass was among the best I have ever had.Chef Negron is a talented chef, but he really excels at selecting fresh seafood and carving it up. The biggest difference from Lotus to Mingos is FOCUS...they have a solid idea of what they are going for and so far they are executing it quite nicely.The Inside is not much different than Lotus, but it has a solid continuous theme. Its a very relaxed atmosphere with smooth jazz playing in the background.You will feel welcomed dressed up in a suit and tie...or just a polo shirt and jeansAlthough the plans for Honey, the aphrodisiac bar, have been scrapped, that space is in the process of becoming an extension of Mingos. It will have a private dining area that can host large parties and private functions.We started our evening off with Tuna Poke, which is a raw salad served as an appetizer.The Tuna Poke at Mingos is served atop sliced cucumbers and is topped with scallions, lime and a Tamari sauce with a fried wonton. The tuna was very fresh and the Tamari sauce, which is a thicker and richer type of soy sauce, made for an excellent flavor profile.The Marlin Taco's are a house specialty and I would recommend them.Marlin is like a fish steak and as such has to be prepared right or it can be too rubbery and thick. The house made naan bread, garlic crema, and the crunchy slaw went well with this appetizer and it was a treat to have marlin.To go in a more savory direction, our next dish was the Pork Wings. These are individual pork shanks that are seared on the outside and finished in the oven and served with a smoked plum sauce.The meat on these shanks literally fell right of the bone and were absolutely delicious. One of the two entrees we sampled was the Sea Bass.As I said earlier, this is by far one of the better Sea Bass entrees I have had. The fish was delicate and buttery with flavor in every bite.The accompanying smoked bacon ratatouille and chardonnay sauce went well with the sea bass, as well as a glass of fine chardonnay.The second entree we had was the Angus Filet paired with a Cabernet SauvignonThe steak was cooked nicely and served atop a mix of vegetables with a shallot demi glaze, truffle oil, and was topped off with a piece grilled foie gras.

For desert we had Fireball Apples with Bavarian Creme with a candied almond bar.A very nice ending that was smooth and creamy and perfectly sweet to end our evening.

We really liked everything about Mingos...from the food to the service to the atmosphere...it all works well together. I think they may have what it takes to ensure long term success at 100 S. Eola Drive. The restaurant is dedicated to quality and has things on the right track. If you are in the area, stop on by and see for yourself. Mingos is open Monday through Saturday from 4:00 pm until 10:00 pm. They also have a Sunday brunch buffet with all you can drink Mimosas from 11:00 to 4:00 that is generating quite a buzz. Perhaps Tastes Of Orlando will return soon to check that out as well.